Chapter 2 Objection

A ghostly paleness swept across Lorna's face when she grasped what John implied. Her hands twisted the edge of her blouse as she stood rooted to the spot.

Wasting no time, Melanie stepped in, gently offering support while keeping her composure intact.

"Mr. Blake, my mother is carrying a Blake heir."

As soon as she finished speaking, a sharp, mocking laugh cut through the room.

Vivian Blake, wife to John's third son, made her presence known with a cold sneer. "It takes real audacity to make such a claim. Do you think your words alone make it true?"

Melanie opened her mouth to fire back, but Lorna, gripped by anxiety, held her firmly and stopped her short.

Contempt twisted Vivian's features even further. "Lorna, I'm amazed by your nerve. You played an unacknowledged lover to Leland, and now that he's gone, you show up at our door with an unborn child, thinking you can milk the family for money. Who can tell whether that baby is really Leland's?"

Her eyes brimming with tears, Lorna blurted out, "The baby is Leland's, I swear it. Mr. Blake, the due date is only a month away. I'll agree to any test you need."

A derisive huff escaped Vivian. "Leland's gone and buried — what sort of test could possibly prove anything now? Even if the baby shares Blake blood, how can you say it's Leland's and not some distant cousin's? A woman with no shame, dragging her scandals in here — who knows how many men you've tangled with?"

Frustration finally broke through Melanie's composure.

"So you mean to say the Blake men have so little honor, they'd lay hands on Mr. Leland Blake's woman?"

Stunned, Vivian hadn't anticipated Melanie's quick response. With anger sharpening her tone, Vivian retorted, "Mind how you speak! Who gave you the right to slander others?"

Melanie smiled mockingly. "Keep those words to yourself. You're the one who started slinging wild accusations!"

Meeting the eyes of those gathered, Melanie lifted her chin in defiance, her delicate features set with stubborn resolve.

"If there's so much doubt, just wait until the baby arrives. We'll have every man in the Blake family tested. The father's DNA will show a different match rate than any uncle or distant relative. It'll be easy to prove that none of their rates are close enough to establish paternity."

"And why should we go along with your scheme?" Vivian retorted, voice cold.

Melanie's stare did not waver as she faced Vivian. "Your father-in-law hasn't uttered a word, yet you keep trying to block us. Are you truly worried about the family's reputation, or are you just scared that Leland's child might threaten your worthless son's claim to the inheritance?"

All through Andence, people knew that Vivian always doted on her only son unconditionally. With such connivance, her son had become a notoriously dissipated playboy.

To be called out so plainly left her red-faced, anger and humiliation written across her features.

"You insolent girl, I ought to teach you a lesson!"

Vivian's hand shot upward, and Melanie instinctively tried to dodge it. But before she could get away, Lorna lunged forward, throwing herself between them.

Startled and desperate, Melanie wrapped her arms around her mother. With no time left to dodge, she simply squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the sting.

"That's enough!"

The sound froze Vivian's arm in mid-swing, her movement cut short by the sudden authority in the room.

A powerful presence loomed at Melanie's back, unmistakable in its severity.

Greyson had stepped into the fray.

A heavy silence settled over the room, tension thickening the air. Even Vivian, still bristling with anger, held back, though her tone remained cutting.

"Greyson, perfect timing. These two came to our door scheming for money. I have no clue who allowed them inside. That disrespectful girl especially — if nobody puts her in her place, our whole family will be disgraced!"

Greyson ignored the outrage, his eyes flickering to Melanie before settling on Vivian, his look as cold as winter rain. "I'm the one who opened the door for them. Is that a problem for you?"

Stunned, Vivian stared at him as though the floor had shifted under her feet.

"Greyson, what are you saying?"

With deliberate ease, Greyson crossed the floor and sank into the nearest sofa, dignity in every line of his posture.

"Leland's child grows in Lorna's womb. From today, both she and her daughter will stay in Emerald Villa — my brother's old home."

"Excuse me?" A surge of panic washed over Vivian.

Sprawling across the Blake grounds, the estate held four grand villas in addition to John's own residence.

Each villa belonged to one of his sons, serving as a symbol of their status in the family.

Emerald Villa had always been Leland's territory.

"You can't seriously mean to welcome that bastard?"

Greyson's face turned cold as soon as he heard that, a shadow falling over his features. "I told you, Vivian. That child belongs to my brother. Stop calling them that!"

Though his presence made her shrink back, Vivian's eyes darted toward John, searching for support from him.

"Say something! While Leland lived, none of us had any clue he was seeing someone. Now he's gone, and suddenly strangers show up claiming to be family. No one can even prove the baby's his. How can you let them move into Leland's villa?"

The words had barely left her mouth when Greyson let out a low, chilling laugh that seemed to cut through the tense air.

"Vivian, my father has stepped aside. Are you questioning my authority as the head of this family?"

Vivian's protest died on her lips, her expression turning to stone.

A sharp crack echoed as John slammed his cane against the floor. "Greyson!"

Vivian's tense stance eased a little, her eyes turning expectantly to this old man.

Memories of Leland's involvement with Lorna still burned hot in John's mind, and her presence now only reignited that anger. Accepting them was out of the question.

Not even the promise of Leland's child could sway him from his decision.

"This family will never open its doors to people with such disgraceful pasts—"

Before John could complete his words, Greyson cut in, his tone flat and distant. "Is your memory failing, or do you simply refuse to remember why Leland left in the first place? And why did you surrender your place at the head of this family?"